


1+4 times

by lightofthewind



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2019-02-16 04:20:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13046364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lightofthewind/pseuds/lightofthewind
Summary: Afterimages of Tamaki and Iori at school, and beyond.





	1+4 times

**Author's Note:**

  * For [warfare](https://archiveofourown.org/users/warfare/gifts).



> Happy Yuletide!!~  
> This was supposed to be a "five things about Iori and Tamaki at school" story, but it completely got away from me.  
> I hope it's still enjoyable!

_i._

“You know, I’ve been feeling a little bit lonely these days,” complained Mitsuki wistfully.

“Why, Mitsuki? Is it my fault? Shall we watch Cocona together when we get home?”

“Don’t we already do that anyway!” Mitsuki snapped at Nagi. “No, I was talking about Iori, actually.”

“Me, Nii-san?”

“Before, when we did things as a group, you used to stick to me whenever you could. But now, you always end up by Tamaki’s side.”

“I know what you mean,” joined Riku, nodding his head. “I keep expecting Iori’s usual sharp remarks but when I turn around he’s preoccupied with Tamaki…”

“Maybe it’s become a habit at school, so Iori-san has gotten used to walking alongside Tamaki-san,” Tsumugi proposed. “It makes me happy that you’re such close friends!” she added, displaying her natural radiant smile.

“It’s nothing like that!” rebuffed Iori. “We’re just schoolmates, and fellow members.”

“No, it’s true - I’m actually Iori’s new favourite person,” Tamaki declared with confidence. “I’ve conquered the beast, you should praise me.”

“Who are you calling a beast,” Iori growled. “You’re the one who keeps following me around,” he accused, without any bite.

“Ichi’s getting embarrassed. Don’t worry, Mitsu, onii-san will keep you company.”

“I’ll be sure to look after Riku-kun in your stead, Iori-kun. From a ditched partner to another.” Even Ousaka-san was against him. He went as far as to wink in conspiracy in Nanase-san’s direction.

“See? Problem solved,” concluded Tamaki.

Iori sighed.

 

 

_ii._

“Iorin, are you still not done yet?”

It was a rhetorical question, posed virtually every day.

Iori didn’t subscribe to Tamaki’s barbaric way of ravaging his meals, devouring the food almost instantaneously; instead he liked to taste it slowly, taking apart the flavour of each ingredient in his mouth. He especially took his time when it was a dish cooked by Mitsuki.

Tamaki often jokingly described it as “roleplaying a robot’s eating manners”.

“Fufufu, you’re so slow. Want me to distract you while you finish?” He’d already put aside his lunch box, and lazily slumped his back on the chair, his head facing the ceiling and his eyes closed.

“If you want me to eat faster, wouldn’t that be counter-productive,” Iori argued half-heartedly.

Tamaki became (even more) talkative with a full stomach, and he particularly took advantage of their lunch breaks to sometimes rant about the latest inconvenience in his life (be it a recent lecture from Sougo, Yamato’s teasing antics, a particularly difficult game level he was having trouble clearing, or a sudden shortage of his King’s Pudding supply).

“Oshiete kimi no number one ♫” Tamaki sang softly, his voice sounding perfectly clear in the empty classroom.

Iori should have known better than to presume he had Tamaki’s patterns down pat.

Oh, sure, he was generally easy to read, his pure intentions always on his sleeve, his quick temper effortlessly predictable and appeased just as straightforwardly, his likes and dislikes constantly voiced and exposed for the whole world to see.

But once in a while, he’d throw you a curveball, surprising you with his perceptiveness and bashfulness.

Against his will, Iori could feel his cheeks starting to flush as he joined in humming the melody.

In response, he saw Tamaki’s body, keeping the same posture, gradually lose its tension at the same time as his expression softened into a calm, mature look. The corners of his mouth painted a small, satisfied smile that Iori had never seen before on Tamaki’s face and made his heart swell.

He went back to eating in silence, comforted by the intimate atmosphere built by the exchange.

 

 

_iii._

Tamaki was feeling smug. For the first time since he and Iori had started going to school together, he had risen up before Iori. In fact, the clock’s minute hand had just marked Iori’s fate as officially late.

Now he could go wake him up.

“Iorin!” Tamaki yelled at the top of his lungs while jumping onto his bed.

But instead of Iori’s chastising tone of voice, the only thing he received in response was a barely audible pained yelp, followed by a stream of coughs.

Properly looking at Iori, Tamaki could honestly say he looked horrible.

“I didn’t know you could get sick” he remarked, somewhat insensitively. “That sucks,” he then offered in consolation, trying to soften his words.

Iori was making an unsuccessful attempt at moving to get up.

“I’ll let Manager know you’re staying at home today,” Tamaki informed. Not minding Iori’s feeble protests, he did his best impression of the stern inflection the Director at the facility used. “So don’t you dare leave the bed, mister,” he scolded.

Iori was taken aback, and it must have robbed him of all his remaining strength. He closed his eyes in defeat.

Tamaki left the room, not before tucking in the blankets he had rumpled properly.

 

When he arrived at the dorms at the end of the day, he went straight to Iori’s bedroom.

He was sitting in his bed, doubling over their Chemistry schoolbook and going through the material covered today.

Of course.

“Shouldn’t you be resting, Iorin,” greeted Tamaki, in a sullen mutter.

“I hope you behaved yourself in my absence, Yotsuba-san. As you can see, I didn’t leave the bed. Just like you told me.”

“That’s right. You should always listen to me.” Tamaki pointed out.

Then, reaching for his bag, he took out his notebook and offered him to Iori.

“I’m not good at taking notes like you are.” Tamaki avoided his eyes. “But I tried to do it right. I hope it helps.”

He risked a glance at Iori’s expression.

He was immediately glad he caught the face Iori was making, a baffled look that, together with his still-feverish eyes and red-faced cheeks, was strangely captivating.

Iori was at a loss for words. Any other day, Tamaki would make fun of him for it, and brag about what his good behaviour.

Today, he let it slide.

 

 

_iv._

“What is taking him so long...”

Iori checked the time again. Tamaki was now fifteen minutes late.

He was the only one taking supplementary lessons this time, to make up for MEZZO” work, and Iori was here to pick him up.

He arrived early, and waited at the front gate, like always.

Some tardiness was indeed standard for Tamaki, but he usually did appear around the ten-minute mark at the latest. Iori’s annoyance was suddenly changing into worry.

He continued spamming Tamaki through rabbit chat, and began roaming the empty school in search of his missing companion.

He half-expected him to be playing with a kitten like that other time, or stuffing himself with King’s Pudding to balance the calories lost during lessons.

Instead, what he did find was Tamaki lightly sleeping in his seat, his head crouched in his arms in the worst wryneck-inducing position Iori had witnessed.

There were traces suggesting he had started packing up after the class was over, and had fallen asleep in the midst of it.

Iori was tempted to call the scene cute, if that was a word included in his vocabulary. And it wasn’t. Whatsoever.

He should just wake Tamaki up, so they could go on their way already.

He was about to do exactly that, but his hands betrayed him and ended up slowly and quietly collecting the rest of Tamaki’s school material, so as to not disturb him.

When he was done, he pulled a chair for himself and sat.

They had the rest of the afternoon free, and Iori had been meaning to discuss a few management plans with Tsumugi. She should currently be in transit to meet Mitsuki at his variety guest job, and thus available to rabbit chat for a while.

He could wait for another fifteen minutes. Only that much.

 

 

_v._

“Yotsuba-san? Have you begun revising for midterms?” Iori asked from outside Tamaki’s bedroom door.

He wasn’t expecting an answer but usually at this hour he could discern the telling sounds of gaming from inside the room. That wasn’t the case this time, though. Iori knew Tamaki was inside, but he was strangely silent.

He knocked on the door in warning and issued a quick “I’m coming in” before entering.

To Iori’s surprise, Tamaki was sitting at his desk, with a notebook open.

He was so focused on what he was doing it seemed he hadn’t noticed Iori’s presence.

Curious, Iori approached slowly.

When he was close enough to tell, the realization made him stop in his tracks.

Tamaki was sketching. A drawing of him and who Iori assumed was Aya, aged just before they’d gotten separated. In the scene Tamaki was creating, she was in his lap, eating happily the spoon of King’s Pudding he was feeding her.

Taken aback, Iori’s first impulse was to exit the room and leave the situation behind. He didn’t know what to do, whenever he tried providing comfort he always said the wrong thing.

And yet, he still wanted to try.

The second he decided to stay, as if reading his mind, Tamaki looked up and saw him.

“Oh, Iorin, you were there?”

Maybe Tamaki had known from the start, and had been giving him an out. The thought saddened him, but also propelled him into action.

Extending his hand, Iori gave a passing, hopefully reassuring, squeeze to Tamaki’s arm.

He couldn’t promise him anything else, so he just said, “I’m here.”

 


End file.
